xxxviii
Innovations from Mega-Cities
Although Yanedan and Ama-cho are successful examples in rural areas, mega-cities
also play a substantial role in innovation. If innovation is to start from the intersection of heterogeneous ideas, its probability is proportional to the square of the density of the ideas. If the density is 100 times, the probability is 10,000 times.
Accordingly, Tokyo is a place where various elements such as people, goods, money,
and information are accumulated, and where the probability of occurrence of innovation is the highest. Indications of how innovations are generated appear in the
Platinum Triangle connecting Shibuya, Futakotamagawa, and Jiyugaoka, situated in
Tokyo’s southwest district. It is in this district that a multiple number of companies
in different industries as well as creators and people from universities are exerting
efforts toward innovations necessary for sustainable new town development.
Viable Business Ensures Sustainability
Reviving Mishima City to be in harmony with nature as symbolized by fireflies
populating the area is a typical example of how to aim for a platinum society. It has
been significant in generating great value for its people both in terms of health and
peace of mind, as well as by strengthening bonds and increasing the happiness of
those involved. At the same time, the city’s GDP has grown due to an increase in
tourists. Rather than relying on subsidies, the activity stands on its own as a market
economy. A platinum industry does not have to rely on a capitalist economy in
which the return on invested capital must be maximized. However, to successfully
sustain the path to a platinum society, many activities would have to be viable as
businesses.
A Society of Lifelong Learning
Intense changes relating to work are inevitable during periods of transition. Unlike
how it has been in the past, we can no longer expect to continue working in one job
for our whole lives. As such, education for changing jobs would become a very
important industry. In addition, a platinum society is one in which people learn from
one another.
In a children’s song about a sparrows’ school, the school teacher trains students
by singing, “Chi-papa, while swinging a whip as an orchestra conductor’s baton,
and another chi-papa, demanding still not good enough.” This song describes universities in developing world. A platinum society is a future society that nobody
knows about. As of yet, there are no teachers who have walked this path, no one who
knows the exact route to a platinum society. To illustrate this point, another chilPreface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”
Innovations from Mega-Cities
Although Yanedan and Ama-cho are successful examples in rural areas, mega-cities
also play a substantial role in innovation. If innovation is to start from the intersection of heterogeneous ideas, its probability is proportional to the square of the density of the ideas. If the density is 100 times, the probability is 10,000 times.
Accordingly, Tokyo is a place where various elements such as people, goods, money,
and information are accumulated, and where the probability of occurrence of innovation is the highest. Indications of how innovations are generated appear in the
Platinum Triangle connecting Shibuya, Futakotamagawa, and Jiyugaoka, situated in
Tokyo’s southwest district. It is in this district that a multiple number of companies
in different industries as well as creators and people from universities are exerting
efforts toward innovations necessary for sustainable new town development.
Viable Business Ensures Sustainability
Reviving Mishima City to be in harmony with nature as symbolized by fireflies
populating the area is a typical example of how to aim for a platinum society. It has
been significant in generating great value for its people both in terms of health and
peace of mind, as well as by strengthening bonds and increasing the happiness of
those involved. At the same time, the city’s GDP has grown due to an increase in
tourists. Rather than relying on subsidies, the activity stands on its own as a market
economy. A platinum industry does not have to rely on a capitalist economy in
which the return on invested capital must be maximized. However, to successfully
sustain the path to a platinum society, many activities would have to be viable as
businesses.
A Society of Lifelong Learning
Intense changes relating to work are inevitable during periods of transition. Unlike
how it has been in the past, we can no longer expect to continue working in one job
for our whole lives. As such, education for changing jobs would become a very
important industry. In addition, a platinum society is one in which people learn from
one another.
In a children’s song about a sparrows’ school, the school teacher trains students
by singing, “Chi-papa, while swinging a whip as an orchestra conductor’s baton,
and another chi-papa, demanding still not good enough.” This song describes universities in developing world. A platinum society is a future society that nobody
knows about. As of yet, there are no teachers who have walked this path, no one who
knows the exact route to a platinum society. To illustrate this point, another chilPreface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”